Jason Maus counsels clients on a wide variety of tax credit finance transactions, representing institutional investors, lenders, developers, nonprofit organizations, community development entities (CDEs) and qualified businesses in all aspects of financing and real estate transactions. He regularly advises clients on structuring transactions that are designed to facilitate the award and transfer of federal and state tax credits, including new markets tax credits (NMTCs), historic rehabilitation tax credits (HTCs) and renewable energy tax credits (RETCs). Mr. Maus is a tax attorney whose extensive experience includes representing private equity, public companies and nonprofit organizations in navigating federal, state and local tax regimes. He works closely with entities’ management finance departments, tax departments and legal counsel to identify opportunities and implement changes in tax law. Mr. Maus also frequently advises on the structuring of acquisitions, dispositions and other investments. 

Erik J. Rickard is a partner in the Columbus, Ohio, office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where he is a member of the firm’s real estate department. He concentrates his practice on real estate, real estate finance, joint ventures, equity funds, new markets tax credits (NMTCs), low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), historic rehabilitation tax credits (HTCs) and commercial lending law. Mr. Rickard counsels developers, investors, funds and financial institutions on the acquisition of senior and mezzanine debt financing and equity financing of real estate. He also represents clients in equity syndication through limited partnerships and limited liability companies of LIHTCs, HTCs and NMTCs, and has assisted clients in obtaining or providing senior and subordinate financing for affordable housing and other community development projects. He is a frequent speaker at various NMTC conferences across the United States. He is a member of the American, Ohio state and Columbus bar associations. Mr. Rickard earned his juris doctor and master’s in international and comparative law from Duke University in 1997. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Denison University. He is admitted to practice in Ohio.

A founding member of Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, Debra Kleban concentrates her practice in the area of community economic development and affordable housing finance. She currently focuses the majority of her practice in representing qualified active low-income businesses (QALICBs), investors, community development entities (CDEs) and other lenders in new markets tax credit (NMTC) financing transactions. She has significant experience using various federal, state and local loan and grant programs for financing the rehabilitation or new construction of facilities that contribute to economic growth and development in low-income communities and of multifamily housing, including housing for families, the elderly (including supportive living facilities), the homeless and individuals with special needs. In addition to her NMTC work, Ms. Kleban’s practice includes the representation of borrowers, investors and lenders involved with projects which use the syndication of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) and historic tax credits (HTCs). Ms. Kleban co-authored the American Bar Association’s Beginner’s Guide to The New Markets Tax Credit (June 2014). Since 1998, Ms. Kleban has been involved in various roles with Deborah’s Place, the largest provider of housing and supportive services for women in Chicago who are homeless or formerly homeless. She has contributed time to Deborah’s Place as a volunteer, past-board president, commission member and president circle member.

Tucker Bartlett is an executive vice president at Self-Help Ventures Fund. Since 2010, he has overseen commercial and small-business lending, residential and commercial real estate development, and secondary market and direct home lending. Through these departments, Mr. Bartlett is responsible for approximately 65 employees and $1.5 billion in total assets. Self-Help is one of the nation's largest community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and since 1980 has worked toward its mission of helping low-wealth people and communities create wealth. He also worked for Self-Help from 2003 through 2006, when he was director of commercial real estate development and lending. Mr. Bartlett coordinated the development and asset management of Self-Help's 17-building, 650,000-square-foot commercial real estate portfolio. He also managed a portfolio of approximately $50 million in commercial real estate loans that financed commercial development in low-income areas. Before returning to Self-Help, Mr. Bartlett was the chief operating officer of Scientific Properties, a commercial real estate firm based in Durham, N.C. Mr. Bartlett joined Scientific Properties in 2006 as a development manager responsible for the $27 million renovation of Golden Belt, a historic textile mill converted into a mixed-use development. In September 2008, he was promoted to chief operating officer (COO) and Scientific Properties increased the amount of leased space in its portfolio by more than 60 percent and grew revenue from $1 million in 2007 to nearly $4 million in 2010. Mr. Bartlett oversaw Scientific Properties’ projects, which included a development pipeline of more than 2 million square feet. Mr. Bartlett speaks frequently at conferences across the country about urban real estate development and the use of historic rehabilitation tax credits (HTCs) and new market tax credits (NMTCs). He has also worked as a small business development agent in Benin, West Africa, for the U.S. Peace Corps and as a financial analyst for NationsBank's multinational corporate finance unit. Mr. Bartlett serves on the governing boards for Triangle Community Foundation, Downtown Durham Inc., the Durham Arts Council and CAHEC and he serves on the community advisory boards for Cherokee Investment Partners Brownfield Revitalization, Durham YMCA and KIPP Durham College Prep Charter. Mr. Bartlett graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a master’s degree in regional planning and a master’s in business administration. He was awarded the American Institute of Certified Planners Outstanding Student from the Department of City and Regional Planning.